Josef klee



(No Model.)

J. KLEE.

MOLDED FACING FOR WALLS.

No. 406,448. Patented July 9, 1889.,

\k ui E III E WITNESSES INVENTDR N. PETERS. Pllalolillmgraphur. Wuhinglm. D.C.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEF KLEE, .O F NEWV YORK, N. Y.

MOLDED FACING FOR WALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,448, dated July 9, 1889. Application'filed Apri1 1'7, 1889. Serial No. 307,532. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I', J OSEF KLEE, of New York city, New York, have invented an Improved Molded Facing for \Valls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a facing which is finished in the shop and is then applied to the wall similar to wall-paper.

The object of the invention is, first, to so construct the facing that its plaster-of-paris body is'not liable to break or crumble away, and, secondly, that the facing can be firmly united with the wall and will not be apt to become spontaneously detached.

The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fully pointed out in the clainn In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a section of my improved facing, showing it partlybroken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line :0, Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a 7 face view of a piece of mosquito-netting, and

Fig. 4 a face view of a piece of cheese-cloth embedded in my improved facing.

In manufacturing my improved facing I run into a mold having the desired pattern a plastic mass a, consisting preferably of about nine parts of plaster-of-paris and one part of dextrine. I next place upon the back of this plastic mass a sheet of mosquito-netting b, which, as is well known, is awoven fabric with very Wide meshes. The netting b is pressed down by a trowel through the plastic material, so as to lie near the surface thereof. It will readily assume the outline of the mold and will enter the outwardly-projecting convex parts a1 of the plastic pattern. After the netting b is thus put in place a sheet of cheese-cloth c is placed upon the back of the plastic material. The meshes of the cheesecloth are of course smaller than those of the mosquito-netting. The.cheese-cloth c is also worked or pressed down through the plastic material, but not so deep as the mosquitonetting. In pressing the cheese-cloth c into the plastic mass some of the latter will be forced upward through the meshes. This material is subsequently smoothed off by a straight-edge and forms the backing which completely covers the fabric 0, Fig. 2. The facing is now permitted to harden, after which it is removed from the mold ready for use.

It will be seen that my improved wall-facing contains two woven fabrics, 'one with smaller meshes than the other and both embedded completely in the plastic mass. The object of using these two fabrics is as follows: The mosquito-netting having larger meshes more readily assumes the shape of the pattern and is thus adapted to enter the projections a. Thus the plaster-of-paris, which forms these proj ections and which is most exposed to wear, is secured to a proper hold. The cheese-cloth having smaller meshes remains somewhat straighter than the fabricb. By'reason of the comparative small size of its meshes it will tightly hold the rear portion of the facing in place and prevent it from breaking away.

Thus great strength is imparted to the entire structure.

It will be seen that in my improved Wallfacing the entire rear surfaceis formed of the plastic composition. This can be readily attached to the wall by any suitable adhesive. It will not be apt to fall away, as is the case if paper or a similarbacking isinterposed between the wall and the plastic composition, and which is apt to become detached if subj ected to the influence of moisture.

I am aware that one or more layers of textile fabric have before my invention been embedded in plaster-of -paris cornices; but neither of such layers entered the ornamental projections or reliefs of the cornices to strengthen the same; nor were the two layers, when used, made with differently sized meshes. plaster-of-paris cornice or facing wit-h textile fabric embedded therein; but

I do claim Aplastic composition for wallsF-having relief ornaments molded thereon and containing two sheets of textile fabric, the front sheet having wider. meshes than the rear sheet and being pressed out to form forward projections that enter the reliefs of the plastic composition, substantially as specified.

JOSEF KLEE.

Witnesses:

F. v. BRIEsEN, HENRY E. RoEnEE.

I therefore do not claim, broadly, a 

